"General, the scouts reported that less than eighty miles ahead, a Mongolian tribe was found at a river. According to the analysis of the camp, it should be a thousand households of a certain tribe."
"They haven't discovered our army yet. Should they take advantage of this opportunity and let the soldiers quickly cover them up?"
After hearing the report from his subordinates, Cao Wenzhao finally saw a hint of excitement on his face.
It has been five days since he took the oath to leave the border, and he has led his troops out of the fortress and has penetrated more than 700 miles into the grassland.
But so many days have passed, let alone raiding the grassland tribes, they have not even seen the shadow of the Mongols.
So far, nothing has been found. These 10,000 cavalry have long lost the high spirits and roaring morale they had when they left the fortress.
The harsh environment of the grassland is a test for the army. No matter who you are, as long as you set foot on the grassland, God is fair.
Although only five days had passed, Cao Wenzhao knew that the patience in the hearts of the soldiers was weakening at an extremely fast speed.
"It's better to find out first. Ask the Mongolian guides of the Aohan tribe which tribes are in this area."
"We can't make a mistake. His Majesty said that this expedition will only target the Mongolian tribes originally belonging to the Chahar tribe in the Monan grassland."
"Other tribes should not fight with them easily."
In fact, Cao Wenzhao was also very depressed. These were all Mongols, how could they cause so much trouble and why they couldn't fight?
"The general will receive his order at the end."
After waiting for a while, the general who was responsible for the military intelligence sentry came to see Cao Wenzhao with several Mongolians.
"General, this area is the border between the Monan and Tumut tribes. Those who camp here should belong to the Tumut tribe."
After speaking, he looked at the Ming army general who brought him here and said:
"Based on the general's description just now, I thought it should be the location of the Thousand Households of the Tumut right-wing tribe."
As soon as the Mongolian guide said this, the fighting spirit that had just been ignited in Cao Wenzhao's heart was as ruthlessly extinguished as if he had encountered a basin of cold water.
But this attacking general didn't think so much. He didn't care which tribe you belonged to. He came to the grassland to behead the enemy and perform meritorious service, and then return to the Ming Dynasty to receive the reward.
Otherwise, why would he go all the way to the outside of the country to suffer this?
After sending the guide away, he said to Cao Wenzhao:
"General, they are just a small tribe with a thousand households. In less than an hour, my army can completely crush them."
After hearing this, Cao Wenzhao shook his head without hesitation and said:
"Pass this general's order to recall the cavalry over there and stay at night. The army will change direction and continue marching to look for the remnants of the Chahar tribe."
As soon as he heard that Cao Wenzhao wanted to give up, Wang Gui immediately became anxious.
"General, think twice. This is a military honor that comes to your doorstep. Why don't you want it?"
Although Wang Gui was a general of the Yulin Army, his rank was too low and he did not know the emperor's instructions at all. Therefore, he could not figure out why Cao Wenzhao issued such a military order.
A Tartar head is worth twenty taels of silver, and ten heads can be recorded in the military merit book of the law enforcement team.
The Yulin Army's military regulations are so strict that future promotions will depend on military merit.
Moreover, if you make a mistake, this military merit can also reduce your punishment or exempt you from guilt.
For generals like them who were born at the bottom, only with military merit can they have a future. If they don't have military merit, they can only stay in the same place even if they stay in the army for the rest of their lives.
"General, I have my own reasons. You don't need to ask any more questions. Just carry out the military orders."
"Don't worry, although this is my first time to lead an army alone on an expedition, I'm not just a walk-in-arms man."
"He will lead the soldiers, perform meritorious deeds, return in triumph, and go back to receive rewards."
"I will definitely not return without success."
Although Cao Wenzhao led an army alone for the first time, some generals in the army also had some concerns about his abilities and abilities.
But he himself is full of confidence. In his opinion, even though he is not successful at the beginning, as long as he persists and works hard, he will definitely have results.
Wang Gui was obviously not willing to give in, but there was no way he could do it. Being a senior official would crush people to death.
Cao Wenzhao's rank was already higher than his own, and he was still the leading general under His Majesty's orders. Military orders were not something that he, a small assistant general, could disobey.
Most of the characters of military generals are quick-talking and unable to hide things in their hearts.
Wang Gui was like this. He really couldn't figure out why Cao Wenzhao didn't attack the Qianhu tribe, so he couldn't help but complain in front of some colleagues.
After hearing this, the other generals were also confused about Cao Wenzhao's military orders. Why did they let this great military merit go?
"Don't think too much. Military orders cannot be violated. Implement them quickly."
"You should also relax, we will definitely not return without success this time. Your Majesty is looking at General Cao very much and is counting on him to make great achievements so that he can be put to good use."
"His nephew is deeply loved by His Majesty, and His Majesty even trained him personally. This is the first time in our Ming Dynasty. It's not like you don't know."
"I'm afraid Wei Huo from the Ming Dynasty is his uncle and nephew from the Cao family. It's not impossible for us to fight with this General Cao and become a marquis and general in the future."
When it comes to vision and thinking, a veteran who is proficient in the world of people knows better.
Zhang Tao was originally a member of the frontier army, but he was appreciated by Xu Guangqi and was transferred to Tongzhou to train new soldiers.
Later, when Zhu Youxiao founded the Yulin Army, he integrated all the more than 20,000 Tongzhou recruits trained by Xu Guangqi.
His military career spanned nearly twenty years, and although he was only a newly promoted general, he was still much more seasoned than these young generals in many aspects.
"Brother Zhang does make sense, but my younger brother is short-sighted."
Wang Gui, who was still a little dissatisfied at first, thought about it after some persuasion.
"When it comes to that boy from the Cao family, it's like smoke is rising from his ancestral grave. I heard that the emperor was so impressed when he saw him for the first time that he gave him a title on the spot."
"Cao Wenzhao has also benefited from this. His status has been greatly improved. He was promoted to a guerrilla general in one fell swoop. Thousands of the most elite cavalrymen in our Xiaoqi Battalion are all under his control."
"What a blessing. I never dreamed of such a blessing."
After Wang Gui left, a general said with emotion, not knowing whether he was envious or jealous.
"Okay, I have seen that boy from the Cao family. He is indeed born with supernatural power and is extraordinary. Your Majesty also likes the impetus of young people, so there is a reason why you value him."
"Our General Cao is not a good person. I have already found out clearly that when he was in Liaodong, he killed more than a dozen slaves in one battle without any injuries."
"This shows that it is extraordinary."
"You are all young people, and His Majesty values you very much. You still have a bright future. In this case, please don't talk about it again in the future."
"If the law enforcement team hears this, I will beat you to the end if you don't take off your armor."
As the saying goes, people become better with age. Although Zhang Tao is only in his thirties, he has basically experienced everything in this era.
He knew very well that what His Majesty was most taboo about was disunity among the troops, especially gossip among the generals behind their backs.
If the emperor found out that forty military sticks was a trivial matter, he would be kicked out of the army.